Madrid

Madrid boasts a bevy of modern, sexy restaurants, and customers who demand more than just a large plate with a big chunk of meat on it.

In this month's issue

delicious. - January 2011
Our new-look February issue is filled with bright, fresh food to set you up for the year ahead; including our new entertaining feature with Kylie Kwong, Matt Moran's seafood barbecue and jamie Oliver's brilliant brunch ideas.

Madrid is renowned for fabulous tapas and traditional cuisine, but Matt Preston discovers that the Spanish capital also has an increasingly modern dining scene.

The rest of Spain refers to the inhabitants of Madrid as "gatos" or cats. Madrileños will tell you it's because they're sleek and sexy. I have another theory – Madrid is such a plump, prosperous city that sometimes it's hard not to see its inhabitants as comfortable moggies snoozing in the sun.

The locals tend to desert the city for their country places on weekends, when the tourist hordes fly in, so Madrid has a very different feel on Friday and Saturday nights, a fact you may want to take into account when planning your trip.

Spain may have been the glamour child of the modern European culinary scene for the last decade, but this has been pushed more by innovation and success in the Catalan and Basque parts of the country. While Barcelona and San Sebastian were in the grip of foams and gels, Madrid stayed happy with its culinary heritage of tapas bars and traditional restaurants.

There's nothing light about the authentic food of Madrid, with its love of meat roasted in the Castilian style and local specialties such as tripe or the wintry pork and bean stew called cocido. It's about as far from a foam as you can get! In the past five years, however, this has been changing, and the city has attracted some of Spain's best chefs to open outposts here. Now Madrid boasts a bevy of modern, sexy restaurants, and customers who demand more than just a large plate with a big chunk of meat on it. "A cutting-edge restaurant like DiverXO wouldn't have been possible 10 years ago," says modernist flag-bearer Paco Roncero of Le Terraza del Casino.

I left Madrid carrying several more kilos than I arrived with, but the highlights more than justify the extra weight. The glamorous meals at Sergi Arola Gastro and Le Terraza del Casino were among the best I've eaten this year, and I know that months later I'll have fond memories of calamari rolls and drinking vermut (vermouth) in the shadow of huge heads in the 'bull bar' on Plaza Mayor. In fact, when it comes to drinking into the small hours, the Madrileños are masters, but then we all know cats like to stay out on the tiles at night!

The mod squad

La Terraza del Casino (Calle de Alcalà, +34 91 532 12 75) is a slender, mirrored slice of cool sophistication on the rooftop of an elegant gentleman's club, and one of three good reasons to pack a smart jacket for your visit to Madrid. Sample European fine dining at its modern best, with Paco Roncero's multi-course menu built around 24 or so tastes. These plates are all delicate finesse, whether you find explosive little flavour bombs of trout roe in a crunchy tempura batter; filigree strands of foie gras over nuggets of eel with crunchy apple nibs and a tangy apple sorbet; an intense, sticky tile of wagyu served with porky 'ravioli'; or a square of dark chocolate flavoured with sage.

If Paco's menu at La Terraza is a delicate pas de deux, a meal at Sergi Arola Gastro (Calle de Zurbano 31, +34 91 310 21 69) is much more rock'n'roll. Percussive snacks to start include disgracefully moreish plantain chips with ponzu sauce and a crispy cornet of popcorn ice cream. Subsequent courses include fat red Palamós prawns paddling in an intensely ruddy sauce, black grouper in Indian-spiced coconut soup or roast pigeon with pickled foie gras. Plating is designed to make a statement. Strange but true: a shimmering, round pearl (with oyster mousse at its core) served in an oyster shell, with shredded seaweed and a plume of Champagne bubbles, was so pretty that a couple of us at the table welled up when we saw it.

Santi Santamaria is one of Spain's most famous chefs. Over the past few years, his influence has spread from this three-starred Can Fabes in Catalonia to Dubai and Santceloni (Paseo de la Castellana 57, +34 91 210 88 40), his Madrid restaurant that's thronged by well-heeled locals. The interior plays on the theme of a farmhouse kitchen, while the food celebrates the same light, Mediterranean cuisine that has made Santi famous. Highlights include a refined 'mountain and sea' plate of cod and diced calf's nose, and a hake loin with silverbeet and black truffle. Finish with one of the 40 options on the cheese board – or more accurately "cheese table" – and check out the house-branded wines that are bargains, given their quality.

Many cite David Muñoz as Spain's most exciting young chef, by virtue of his cutting-edge menu at DiverXO (Calle Pensamiento 28, +34 91 570 07 66), which references his time spent cooking in Asia. On one of the three set menus (starting at $90 for seven courses), Muñoz might combine the flavours of XO sauce or yuzu with classic Mediterranean ideas in dishes such as cold green coconut soup with macadamias or rabbit dim sum with carrots. Bookings are a must and can be made a month in advance. Previous visitors should note Muñoz relocated the restaurant to a larger site last year.

La Broche (Calle Miguel Angel 29-31, +34 91 399 34 37) is a smart, minimalist monochrome dining room with a focus on reinventing traditional Spanish dishes in a modern manner. So you might find that the ajo blanco (cold almond soup) you ordered arrives as a looser, more silky version than usual, served with spheres of Pedro Ximénez sherry that have been desiccated to resemble raisins.

Traditional dining

Said to be the longest-running restaurant in the world, Restaurante Botín (Calle de los Cuchilleros 17, +34 91 366 42 17) first opened in 1725. Visit for that claim, or to sit at the table where Hemingway wrote The Sun Also Rises and his columns from Madrid. The menu is full of classics such as suckling pig, garlic soup with egg, or scrambled eggs with morcilla (blood sausage) and potatoes. It's very popular with tourists, pollies and Spanish royalty.

The first restaurant on the site of the current Posada De La Villa (Calle Cava Baja 9, +34 91 366 18 60) opened in 1642, but it loses the record to Botín due to issues about its continuous use. In spite, or because, of this it's more popular with Madrileños. The suckling lamb is a regional specialty, but you'll also find the red sausages of Navarra and fallow deer on the menu. The top dining room, with its original vaulted wood-beam ceiling, is a great place to come for the classic winter three-course Madrid feast of cocido. This procession of soup, meat and chickpea-laden stew must be ordered a day in advance.

Taberna del Capitan Alatriste (Calle Grafal 7, +34 91 366 18 83) is named after a popular Spanish Armada hero who stars in a series of novels. The menu is authentic, with five grilled meats their specialty, although hake and bacalao (salt cod) are also well served. The dining rooms may feel as ancient as they are chic, but in fact the restaurant was designed only three years ago, not 300.

Top of the tapas

Mercado de la Reina (Calle Gran Via 12, +34 91 521 31 98) is Madrid's hottest new tapas bar, with a hip clientele to match. Stand at the long blonde-wood bar or perch at a table to try the porcini mushrooms on toast; meltingly soft octopus slices with pepper vinaigrette; and organic fried eggs with potatoes and morcilla. For something more substantial, how about pork ribs from the same pig that supplies his legs for the best jamon (cured ham), served with a tangy chimichurri sauce.

A stand in the boutique San Miguel market, El Yantar de Ayer (Plaza San Miguel, +34 60 714 76 72) is notable for its range of banderillas (little skewers) of olives stuffed with soft cheese or partnered with octopus, jamon and little white anchovies. To drink, try their vermut or a very neat 30-year-old fino sherry served with hazelnuts and toasted almonds to accentuate its nutty character.

Over-the-top Bar Andalú (Plaza Mayor 26, +34 91 366 50 16), also known as Torre del Oro, isn't for the faint-hearted. It's a narrow alley of green and white tiles lined with huge stuffed bull's heads, cured hams and macabre photos of what happens when the bull beats the matador. While they no longer cook the victims of the bull ring here, you'll find good tapas, from sizzling garlic prawns to silky, cool gazpacho along with beer, wine or vermut on tap to wash it down. The location and unique interior mean it's not cheap, but the whole experience makes it a Madrid must-do.

Casa Alberto (Calle Huertas 18, +34 91 429 93 56) is an old bullfighters' cafe where they once cooked the dead beast's cojones for adoring fans. Now it's good for tripe, and vermut to drink, though it's a bit touristy, as evidenced by the wooden chef outside. Other interesting places to add to your tapas crawl include the dark, tight and cosy Prada a Tope (Príncipe 11, +34 91 429 59 21), famed for its horsemeat; Chueca hotspot Bodega de Angel Sierra (Calle Gravina 11, +34 91 531 01 26) for beers or a Reus vermut; or Cervezas La Fabrica (Calle Jesus 2, +34 91 369 06 71) near the Prado, where smoked sardines go down well with a beer.

For those bocadillo des calamares (calamari rolls) that are Madrid's answer to the late-night kebab, head to La Campana or Bar La Ideal on the tiny Calle de Botaneros that leads off one corner of the Plaza Mayor for a classic experience. Although, the crumbed version at Cerveceria Bar Postas (Calle de Postas) is the best.

Casual cool

With its marble tiled floor and ornate metal columns, there's something very SoHo about Lamucca (Calle Prado 16, +34 91 420 23 49), a wine bar and restaurant in an old antique shop. It may be only a few months old, but it bustles with tables ordering cured sausages and cheeses. Plus, there are pizzas that come topped with everything from pears and Iberico ham to octopus, potato and paprika in a take on the classic Northern Spanish pulpo gallego, telling you that this is definitely Madrid, not NYC.

For a more varied modern menu, try the cool, bright and airy Bazaar (Calle Libertad 21, +34 91 523 39 05) in Chueca for grilled vegetables with romesco or 'three grilled meats' with fig and port sauce.

Restaurante La Sanabresa (Calle Amor de Dios 12, +34 91 429 03 38) is a great no-frills spot for 'granny's food' using loads of silverbeet, beans and spinach, perhaps followed by fried hake or rabbit. Other attractions are set menus that start at a wonderfully cheap $15. Cocido is another speciality when things get chilly.

Mesón Rincón de la Cava (Calle Cava de San Miguel 17, +34 91 366 58 30) might be filled with tourists, but the beer is cold, with tapas-style flavours served at tables. The morcilla comes deep-fried and from Burgos (the best place); the rough-cut chorizo is sweet and super ruddy from peppers; and they also have good pimientos de Padron.

Once a gentleman's club, you can now join Círculo de Bellas Artes de Madrid, (Calle Alcalá 42, +34 91 521 69 42) for just $1.40 a day and have access to the billiards room. Downstairs by day it is a cafe, and part-time studio for TeleMadrid's morning show, serving simple tapas, jamon and sandwiches. Best is the roof terrace for drinks at 'The Golden Hour'.

Come to Cafe Gijón (Paseo de Recoletos, 21, +34 91 521 54 25) for coffee and pastries to start the day. Opened in 1888, and unchanged since, it's a renowned haunt of writers and playwrights – just avoid the touristy piano bar in the central reserve.

Chocolateriá San Ginés (Pasadizo de San Ginés 5, +34 91 365 65 46) is famous for its thick, dark, hot chocolate and skinny churros (doughnuts), which you dunk in your cup (and splatter on your shirt).

Bar scene

Sergi Arola's new cocktail and gastrobar, Le Cabrera (Calle Barbara de Braganza 2, +34 91 319 94 57), has sexy counter dining, a communal table and a plush basement bar with traditional sazeracs and mojitos bumping up against creations such as the Levi, which pairs tequila with peach liqueur, Grand Marnier, sours and lychee.

In the shadow of the Segovia viaduct on the edge of La Latina, the terrace at Marula Cafe (Caños Viejos 3, +34 91 366 15 96) is a cool little bar with a broad terrace. The vibe is laidback, the Hendricks and tonic comes in oversized wine glasses and the negronis are eye-bending. There's also a small disco to distract you youngsters.

Bar Cock (Calle de la Reina 16, +34 91 532 28 26), the third in my best bar triumvirate, is a wonderful old-school cocktail place with a grand high-ceilinged room full of collapsing leather sofas and classic drinks.

Also notable are the sleek and slightly more modern Del Diego (Calle de la Reina 12, +34 91 523 31 06) and Gin Club at the back of Mercado de la Reina, which boasts 25 different gins, and Museo Chicote (Gran Via 12, +34 91 532 67 37), which feels like sort of a 60s Rat Pack bar.

Another fine Madrid moment is finding a little roof terrace to watch the sun set over the city. Our picks are the narrow verandahs at the posh Urban Hotel (Carrera de San Jerónimo 34, +34 91 787 77 70), the terrace at the Circulo de Bellas Artes de Madrid and the bar at the achingly hip Hotel ME (Plaza de Santa Ana 14, +34 90 214 44 40) – beware the cover charge.

Also, trendy La Garage (Calle Valenzuela 7) with its pan-Asian menu, La Paca (Valverde 36) for a coffee-shop vibe, cool Jose Alfredo (Calle Silva 22) or La Divina Comedia (Puerta Cerrada 7), a retro late-night bar that'd be at home in Melbourne's Brunswick. Near the latter, is the gaudily tiled El Madroño (Plaza de Puerta Cerrada 7, +34 91 364 56 29), the place to try Madrid's signature liqueur of the same name, made out of the strawberry-like fruit from the tree that emblazons the city's crest.

Chef Sergi Arola's choice

His restaurant Gastro may make Sergi Arola one of Madrid's three most significant chefs, but his latest opening, Le Cabrera, has him claiming the title of owner of the city's sexiest bar.

Chef Paco Roncero's choice

One of the brightest stars to graduate from El Bulli, Paco Roncero's food at the elegant La Terraza del Casino is delicate and beautifully modern. He's a champion of Spanish olive oil, offering a 15-course menu that might include a bitter hojiblanca with fish and soft arbequina for desserts.

MADRID'S MUST-TRY DISH?Bocadillos de calamares! There's a famous hole-in-the-wall on Calle de Botoneras off Plaza Major that is a good starting point.

BEST MODERN RESTAURANT? Kabuki (Avenida Presidente Carmona 2, +34 91 417 64 15) and DiverXO – it would have been impossible for either to survive in Madrid 10 years ago.

FAVOURITE TRADITIONAL DINING?Príncipe de Viana (Calle de Manuel de Falla 5, +34 91 457 15 49) has a very authentic menu. There's also a great little place in Calle de Toledo next to Plaza Mayor, with the mum cooking and sons serving. I don't know its name, but it's great!

BEST PLACE FOR TAPAS?I go with my wife to the La Latina area of the city. There are loads of great places there to explore. We also love Taberna Matritum (Calle de la Cava Alta, 17, +34 913 658 237), a very small place with a Catalan owner and beautiful wines. Try the foie gras with onion and apple, and traditional potatoes with four-cheese cream.

Where to shop

The restored Mercado de San Miguel, (Plaza de San Miguel) should be a point of pilgrimage for any keen foodie visiting Madrid. Here you'll find a cheese shop; a bacalao stall selling everything from planks of salt cod to canned anchovies and little salt cod toasts; and a fine jamon stand selling front and back legs of various grades of pig, as well as paper cones of deliciously fatty baby chorizo.

Spicy Yuli (Calle de Valverde 42, +34 91 522 58 28) is a small spice boutique trying to reconnect Madrid with spices lost from the country's cuisine, as well as an interesting range of paprikas and dried red peppers.

The story goes that the original Mr Mira of Casa Mira (San Jerónimo 30, +34 91 429 67 96) arrived in Madrid with 20 kilos of sticky turrón (nougat), heavy with toasted almonds, sold it in two days and never left – the classic is still the best. Or try the sleek cakes at Pomme Sucre (Barquillo 49, +34 91 308 31 85), a modern patisserie and coffee shop set out like a boutique jeweller.

APunto Librería (Calle Pelayo 60, +34 91 702 10 41) is a culinary bookshop carrying English and Spanish titles. The cooking school downstairs has classes on everything from wine appreciation to sushi.

Where to stay

The Hotel Occidental Miguel Angel (Calle Miguel Angel 29-31, +34 91 442 00 22, miguelangelhotel.com) is a solid five stars, with a pretty courtyard and its own spa. Stay within easy reach of the city (and La Broche in its foyer) from $236 per night.

For something a little sexier, and cheaper, try one of the Roomate hotels (from $100 per night including breakfast, visit: room-matehotels.com).

With thanks to Spain Tourism Board (visit: spain.info) and Emirates (visit: emirates.com) for assistance with this feature.

Prices and information in this article are correct at time of first publication.